Year of the Dog; card designs from Taiwanese Premier William Lai revealed

The Premier will be passing out the NT$1 'hongbao' to members of the public for the Lunar New Year

The Hongbao design from the office of Premier William Lai for the Year of The Dog (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The official Lunar New Year card from the Executive Yuan was revealed on Feb. 14, at the start of the holidays.

The Premier William Lai will be handing out the auspicious cards when he visits a series of temples in Taiwanon the first day of the Lunar New Year, reports Liberty Times.

While simple yet refined, the design this year is meant to reflect the Year of the Dog and includes a dog silhouette in the card’s interior.

On the outside of the card, white and gold lettering, and the words 百業興旺 literally “100s of professions, all flourishing ,“ intended as a wish for a prosperous year throughout all of society. The flip side also includes the English greeting "Happy New Year."

The interior includes a poem, and a single NT coin, to keep with the tradition of giving money in a “hongbao” (Ch. 紅包, En. Red Envelope) to offer blessings for the New Year.

According to Liberty Times, Premier William Lai will pass out the cards to members of the public when he visits Chih Nan Temple(指南宮) in Taipei and then the Grand Mazu Temple (安平天后宮) in Tainan later in the day.The exterior of the card (CNA Image)